MTG, the Corona-Virus Pandemic, and future events.

[Card Slinger J]

How does it interefere with social gatherings where people can play face to face? This friggin' disease can literally kill people and you are asking that, and you claim you aren't being egotistical`? Wat? There more the disease is spread because people ignore that it is *highly* infections, the more people with compromised immune systems are going to get exposed and FREAKING DIE.

I'm well aware of that. Sorry for all the confusion earlier. I was more worried about MTG losing the face-to-face social interactions that drew me into it more so than video games where I was stuck having to play by myself most of the time. I know we're going through some tough times right now with peoples' lives on the line and sometimes it's easy to lose sight of what's more important.

I just don't want to see a future scenario where nobody has a Local Game Store (LGS) to go back to when this is all said and done. It's already hard enough as it is to find playgroups outside the LGS when the business model itself has become more and more fragile due to recent advancements in technology with online retail and digital alternatives.

[The Fluff]

7th or 8th day of the quarantine over here in my country. Quarantine has become even more strict, an officer gave me a quarantine pass, one pass per family. Only someone with pass could go to the grocery to buy food... because they're trying to minimize people who are walking outside.

Normally, on days without work.. I would be playing mtg with others, and even now I have a newly completed Bant Snow that I wanted to test play.. but no.. can't do that. Even talking with people outside the house terrifies me, as they could be a carrier of the virus. And we are literally talking about the word "death" here. Won't go check out cards in our lgs if I could die, or get contaminated carry home the virus to my family. So nope, no going to the lgs or playing with people while this virus is around.

[Card Slinger J]

Living a life of fear isn't an ideal way of living so it's best to stay calm in these times we're in right now. Sleep on it If you have to while staying at home during your days without work. Spend more time with your family. Keep yourself busy with other things that you've put aside up until recently. Live for today for tomorrow is never a certainty. Just remember that no matter how bad things get we're all in this together. I have faith that we're going to make it through this just fine.

[The Fluff]

yeah, I know. But there is a big difference between beaing fearful and panicking. I'm just fearful, not in panic mode. Like being fearful enough not to walk the streets, because the disease is highly contagious. Recently, several "fearless" people were arrested and fined by authorities, because they were strolling past curfew or even drinking in the streets. One old woman even took two kids walking with her. It's these stupid people who help spread the infection faster.

[Atraxian]

In Italy we have been in nation-wide lockdown for around a week now.
I'm not in one of the worst regions and if I'm ever to catch it, I'm pretty confident I'll pull through (even if being asthmatic and recovered a few months ago from a pneumonia caused by mycobacteria really don't help), I'm more concerned about my parents.
I'll just follow the rules and work from home once my forced leave ends, I'm lucky enough I can do that, at least.

[Card Slinger J]

yeah, I know. But there is a big difference between beaing fearful and panicking. I'm just fearful, not in panic mode. Like being fearful enough not to walk the streets, because the disease is highly contagious. Recently, several "fearless" people were arrested and fined by authorities, because they were strolling past curfew or even drinking in the streets. One old woman even took two kids walking with her. It's these stupid people who help spread the infection faster.

Those type of people have no good common sense so it's not all that surprising. When I was at work the other day I remember someone saying that the National Guard came to town to prevent people from looting while they were under quarantine. I'm just glad it didn't get to the point of Martial Law. I've seen how bad it got during the Arab Spring in the Middle East a few years ago so hopefully it doesn't get to that level of violence and riots in the streets.

I get the feeling that we're at the precipice of a retail apocalypse affecting comic book shops and local game stores due to the current situation we're in right now. It already started with shopping malls, department stores, and Toys R Us going under. I remember when the local Arcade was still around and now it's non-existent though I had a lot of great memories at Fun Factory and Aladdin's Castle crunching quarters at Mortal Kombat and Air Hockey.

[The Fluff]

In Italy we have been in nation-wide lockdown for around a week now.
I'm not in one of the worst regions and if I'm ever to catch it, I'm pretty confident I'll pull through (even if being asthmatic and recovered a few months ago from a pneumonia caused by mycobacteria really don't help), I'm more concerned about my parents.
I'll just follow the rules and work from home once my forced leave ends, I'm lucky enough I can do that, at least.

concerned about my parents as well. In their 60's and vulnerable to this. We've been eating oranges + sleeping early to build up on body resistance.

I get the feeling that we're at the precipice of a retail apocalypse affecting comic book shops and local game stores due to the current situation we're in right now. It already started with shopping malls, department stores, and Toys R Us going under. I remember when the local Arcade was still around and now it's non-existent though I had a lot of great memories at Fun Factory and Aladdin's Castle crunching quarters at Mortal Kombat and Air Hockey.

it's sad, but really.. there's nothing we can do. I miss playing some classic fatal fury in the arcades as well. However, this disease we are not talking about simply being bedridden.. we are talking about.. death. If I run the risk of dying going to an arcade or game store, then of course the only thing to do is not to go there at all.

[Card Slinger J]

Found an interesting article on ICv2 that relates to the Coronavirus situation:

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/454 ... businesses

It's about whether or not If Books and Games should be exempted from Lockdown orders.

[motleyslayer]

I understand where they're coming from in saying that games and books "enhance people's lives while staying at home in isolation" but part of me still doesn't think that they should be considered essential services and be allowed to stay open during this pandemic.

Part of me just doesn't understand how people will still get in huge lines to get the newest game during all this, especially with how bad of hygiene gamers can have.

I know what a few stores I go to are doing is offering to personally deliver orders of over a certain amount to people in order to get people to stay inside. So there's a work around for having people go out in large groups. Or I'd even be fine with only allowing a certain amount of people in the store at once, which probably isn't as effective as delivery services

[The Fluff]

the mall where our lgs is located has been ordered to close by the authorities. So that puts an end to that.
even the market where people buy food will now only be allowed to be open every other day, no longer everyday. They're really trying to minimize people going into contact with each other.

Have books and video games at home, and I chat in 3 other forums besides this one. Plenty of other things to pass time in the house as well - water the plants, play with pets, take this chance to tidy up my room. Not bored at all.

[motleyslayer]

sit down restaurants in most of Canada have shut down, with fast food places closing their seating and only allowing take out or drive through so I understand a mall with a food court shut down. Most malls themselves reduced their hours.

I'm gonna spend my free time with MTGO and my PS4. My work hasn't shut down yet and probably will not be until they have to as required by government but stuff like that is changing daily

[Card Slinger J]

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin recently made an announcement saying that the current U.S. Coronavirus lockdown already set in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is said to last 10-12 weeks or as early as June 2020:

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles ... icial-says

So this is how MTG and the Local Game Store (LGS) ends.

[motleyslayer]

10-12 weeks is an absurd amount of time but probably a necessary precaution. Let's see how this impacts MTG/LGS attendance

[Raptorchan]

I have an impression that Ikoria prerelease will be the most popular event in Arena since forever.

[motleyslayer]

I remember my LGS telling me that Wizards was letting people just buy the product and not actually play the prerelease but that's probably gonna change now since most places are closed for the long term.

I'll probably have to jam a few on arena too at this rate

[Card Slinger J]

Here's what retailers can do during the Coronavirus Pandemic lockdown:

https://icv2.com/articles/columns/view/ ... s-pandemic

Sadly I think it's already too late for these small businesses that are heavily in debt right now. They have no chance of competing online against Amazon and eBay because the margins are too low. When you're buying for $78 a booster box and someone is selling $80 shipped online then there's no way that you would lose money selling for $80 shipped online. Card singles used to be a good source of revenue for these small businesses however they're buying Secret Lair products at the exact same price you are and then marking them up just like a reseller. The Local Game Store (LGS) is really no different from a reseller on Facebook Marketplace or on eBay.

They might buy collections but as we know Magic collections' value are going to decrease in this upcoming economic recession because Magic is a luxury item as it's going to be one of the first items that people will be forced to stop buying during times of need. A lot of these stores are going to end up becoming barren wastelands due to the Coronavirus pandemic. They don't attract the cleanest people when it comes to personal hygiene and even If they were clean you don't want to be in large crowds. This is going to have a major effect on their bottom line. This is the straw that will break the camel's back.

I think this will have a big effect on people flipping products and that includes Local Game Stores so it won't last forever. You're going to see card prices and inventory drop. Whose going to realistically buy Standard or Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths when there's nowhere to play? When people get laid off from their jobs and need money they aren't going to buy Ikoria or any future Magic products let alone for other Trading Card Games / Collectible Card Games. When these businesses go bankrupt then there's really no place to play Paper Magic so you're stuck having to play on Arena or MTGO.

The problem is that these store owners don't treat the Local Game Store as a business but more as a hangout place which normally isn't a problem per say. They don't open Local Game Stores to make money, they open them because they love it. However labor of love doesn't always keep the lights on. Stores that are in financial difficulty right now who are juggling credit cards getting maxed out are not going to be able to survive this. Stores that aren't doing really good but are stable and don't have so much debt are going to be pushed to the brink of elimination. They'll have no choice but to liquidate all their inventory and there will be an opportunity to buy these businesses.

JP Morgan says that 47% of small businesses have less than two weeks of working capital. Assuming even distribution that means at least half of Local Game Stores are closed If there's no customers right? These businesses are still paying rent. Rent is also a huge issue for them right now. They're already on the edge of bankruptcy as we speak. Cards will drop, everything will drop in a recession. Magic cards as well as other Trading Card Games / Collectible Card Games like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon TCG are going to be the last thing on peoples' minds as they're going to need to pay medical bills. Maybe they lost a job. Brace yourself as this is going to get really bad really soon.

Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are encouraging businesses like the Local Game Store and GameStop to stay closed, the rent doesn't go away so the overhead doesn't go away and it would be bad to ask your employees to take a pay cut or I'm not going to pay you because you're not working. I'm very scared for Local Game Stores in my area because I like them and appreciate the service they give me to be able to play my favorite games. We're all in this struggle together unless the U.S. Government manages to intervene and saves them from going under.

[motleyslayer]

I think that this is just a scary time for everything, not just hobby stores. This kind of shut down isn't good for any kind of business or person.

Your post offers a great insight and I really appreciate you going into the effort to post it.

Fortunately for my main store they own the building, but it's still worrying. I just hope people come back in full force when everything settles

[Card Slinger J]

When taxes are pushed back til July 15th that's when you know things are really bad to the point where the IRS isn't even trying to collect money from people.

[motleyslayer]

I literally just got my taxes from 2 years ago assessed again and the CRA wants more money out of me for that year on top of what I owed already. You reminded me that I should probably call them again to see if they'll push my arrangement back because of this.

I know a lot of people would use their taxes for MTG related stuff so that's probably another side effect of this pandemic, less spending of money on bigger purchases because people are laid off

[Card Slinger J]

I literally just got my taxes from 2 years ago assessed again and the CRA wants more money out of me for that year on top of what I owed already. You reminded me that I should probably call them again to see if they'll push my arrangement back because of this.

I know a lot of people would use their taxes for MTG related stuff so that's probably another side effect of this pandemic, less spending of money on bigger purchases because people are laid off

On that note do you think now would be a good time to liquidate all non-Reserve List cards before they tank in price? I really don't want to sell or donate my EDH / Commander deck to a local thrift store / flea market in the happenstance that I end up regretting it later If there's still an LGS in my area to go back to when the CDC lockdown officially ends.

I fear that only supermarkets, pharmaceuticals, and convenience stores are going to be the only physical retail businesses left where everything else that didn't survive ends up becoming unused property that not even real estate can salvage. I do see a lot of essential businesses that covers home / auto insurance coming out unscathed from this.

[The Fluff]

I wanted to sell some cards too. Right now, breeding pool has a good price. However, with the virus no one wants to go out. Also my parents are sure to get angry, if I met and traded cards with some stranger. This feels like a zombie plague, you don't know who's bitten by zombie.. err.. I mean you don't know who's already infected with covid..

[Card Slinger J]

I wanted to sell some cards too. Right now, breeding pool has a good price. However, with the virus no one wants to go out. Also my parents are sure to get angry, if I met and traded cards with some stranger. This feels like a zombie plague, you don't know who's bitten by zombie.. err.. I mean you don't know who's already infected with covid..

I think you should be okay selling cards online If you have an eBay account though I do think that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Distancing Policy is a literal death sentence to the entire physical retail market. The Government's basically choosing how to live our lives for us after this is all over so that when the next crisis emerges they'll do the same thing again just like they did on 9/11.

[motleyslayer]

I literally just got my taxes from 2 years ago assessed again and the CRA wants more money out of me for that year on top of what I owed already. You reminded me that I should probably call them again to see if they'll push my arrangement back because of this.

I know a lot of people would use their taxes for MTG related stuff so that's probably another side effect of this pandemic, less spending of money on bigger purchases because people are laid off

On that note do you think now would be a good time to liquidate all non-Reserve List cards before they tank in price? I really don't want to sell or donate my EDH / Commander deck to a local thrift store / flea market in the happenstance that I end up regretting it later If there's still an LGS in my area to go back to when the CDC lockdown officially ends.

I fear that only supermarkets, pharmaceuticals, and convenience stores are going to be the only physical retail businesses left where everything else that didn't survive ends up becoming unused property that not even real estate can salvage. I do see a lot of essential businesses that covers home / auto insurance coming out unscathed from this.

I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough on when to buy or sell cards. I'd probably recommend the finance section of this forum

[Card Slinger J]

Thanks anyway though.

Also it's imperative for the U.S. Government and Congress to suspend evictions, mortgage / rent, and utility bills / payments during the Coronavirus Lockdown in order to prevent potential economic collapse without intervention.

Without acknowledging the crisis we all face currently we're at a much larger risk than just the health concerns over COVID-19. You can help sign the online petitions below to help fight in the effort:

https://www.change.org/p/gretchen-whitm ... -shut-down

https://www.change.org/p/florida-govern ... onavirus-2

[The Fluff]

over here. Paying of tax and certain bills like phone bills, internet bills are suspended for a month. It helps, now I don't have to go out to pay bills for awhile.